Category Archives: News and Updates
Medical marijuana ban fails in town of Red Cliff
\ RED CLIFF \’97 Voters here Tuesday retained two town council members and rejected a proposed ban on medical marijuana operations. Anuschka Bales and Tom Henderson, both current board members, were both elected to four-year terms. But the election still leaves the seven-member board short two people. Town clerk Barb Smith said the town will […]
Continue readingWestern Slope police officers watch weed industry evolve
\ This is the final part in a two-part series focusing on marijuana law enforcement and education. EAGLE COUNTY \’97 Glenwood Springs Police Chief Terry Wilson thinks anyone who feels strongly about either side of the legalized marijuana argument is just, excuse the pun, blowing smoke. Wilson said the decision-making so far stems from who […]
Continue readingRecreational pot is here…now what?
\ Editor\’92s note: This is the first part in a two-part series about the effects of legalized marijuana on children and law enforcement agencies. EAGLE COUNTY \’97 Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo hugged Silverpeak Apothecary owner Jordan Lewis just before the store made its first recreational marijuana sale March 5. \’93I\’92m glad you\’92re doing this,\’94 […]
Continue readingIs legal marijuana harming Colorado business?
\ EAGLE COUNTY \’97 Led Gardner is worried. Gardner, a broker with Slifer Smith & Frampton, is concerned that legal marijuana in Colorado may prompt some people \’ad\’97 specifically some of the valley\’92s high-end clients \’97 to take their business elsewhere. Gardner isn\’92t alone in that concern, but he has a first-hand story to tell. […]
Continue readingRetail pot shop opens in Eagle-Vail
\ EAGLE COUNTY \’97 The Vail Valley\’92s second retail marijuana shop opens Monday. There will be more in the coming months. Eagle\’92s Sweet Leaf Pioneer has been open since spring, and another shop is planned. While every other town in the valley has either banned or delayed licensing for new retail shops, a number of […]
Continue readingGrand County puts off Highland Lumber rezoning decision
\ The Grand County commissioners decided to table a proposal to rezone the former Highland Lumber building on U.S. Highway 40 in Tabernash, which might become a medical-marijuana grow facility. Wells Fargo Bank took ownership of the 11-acre parcel and building after foreclosing on the owner. Realtor Lance Gutersohn, who represented Wells Fargo, is seeking […]
Continue readingColorado advances edible marijuana restrictions
\ DENVER \’97 A Colorado proposal to widen a ban on certain types of edible marijuana advanced Thursday in the state House amid concerns that it could be too broad. What lawmakers are trying to prevent is accidental ingestion by children who can\’92t tell the difference between a regular cookie or gummy bear and the […]
Continue readingMarijuana legalization plan stalls in New Mexico
SANTA FE, N.M. \’97 A proposal to allow New Mexico voters to decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana stalled Friday, putting the measure in doubt \’97 for now. At a disjointed meeting, the Senate Rules Committee failed to debate the proposed constitutional amendment that would allow for the possession and personal use of marijuana for […]
Continue readingGrand County considers zero tolerance pot policy for employees
\ HOT SULPHUR SPRINGS \’97 County commissioners may have agreed to allow recreational marijuana businesses, but they may prohibit their own employees from partaking. Current regulations for county employees prohibit working while under the influence of any substance that could cause harm to themselves or others. County commissioners and staff agree this policy should continue, […]
Continue readingVail bans retail pot another year
\ VAIL \’97 The Vail town council voted unanimously to extend its temporary ban on retail marijuana for another year in order to gather more information and observe other towns such as Aspen, who have legalized retail sales. The town had set a self-imposed July 31 deadline to make a decision on retail sales, but […]
Continue readingColorado governor praises marijuana banking announcement
\ Gov. praises pot banking announcement DENVER \’97 Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is responding with relief to word from federal officials that marijuana businesses will be allowed to access banking services. Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday that the Obama administration is planning to roll out regulations soon that would allow banks to do business […]
Continue readingPublic hearing on retail pot in Vail is Tuesday
\ VAIL \’97 A public hearing has been scheduled during the Tuesday, June 17 Vail Town Council meeting to continue discussions regarding policy options on the topic of retail marijuana sales. The item is listed sixth on the meeting agenda, which begins at 6 p.m. in the Vail Town Council Chambers. The Vail Town Council […]
Continue readingFraser, Colorado approves recreational marijuana stores
\ FRASER \’97 Grand County residents could soon see the first recreational pot store open its doors in Fraser. Fraser town trustees passed an emergency ordinance allowing for existing medical marijuana businesses to submit an application to open recreational marijuana stores. Fraser is currently the only town in Grand County that has a licensed medical […]
Continue readingAvon takes moves to ban retail marijuana
\ AVON \’97 Town Council members took the first step toward banning retail marijuana sales and grow operations at the April 22 meeting, passing on first reading an ordinance that would ban retail and grow operations in town. The council voted 6-1 for the ban, with council member Jake Wolf casting the lone dissenting vote. […]
Continue readingFewer 2013 marijuana arrests in Vail, Eagle County since Amendment 64
\ EAGLE COUNTY \’97 Local law enforcement wasn\’92t sure what to expect after Colorado voters legalized pot, but most agencies have been pleasantly surprised a year later. In November 2012, the passage of Amendment 64 made it legal for people older than 21 to possess up to one ounce of marijuana for personal use. Starting […]
Continue readingEagle-Vail dispensary to get first marijuana vending machine
\ EAGLE-VAIL \’97 Greg Honan thinks he might be blazing a new trail in the medical marijuana business. Stephan Shearin hopes he\’92s right. Honan is the owner of the Herbal Elements medical marijuana dispensary in Eagle-Vail. He recently partnered with Tranzbyte, a company specializing in the technology of marijuana, to put the first ZaZZZ vending […]
Continue readingDay 2: Summit County pot shops see steady business
Before the retail marijuana movement, Nick Brown, owner of High Country Healing in Silverthorne, said on his busiest days anywhere between 85 and 90 people would visit his medical marijuana dispensary. Yesterday, the first day for recreational marijuana sales in Colorado, more than 500 people purchased a total of four pounds of marijuana from High […]
Continue readingTabernash resident floats ideas for marijuana co-op
\ TABERNASH \’97 Agritourism is new a way to experience Colorado\’92s unique heritage, and now a Grand County group is trying to combine it with another of the state\’92s fascinations \’96 legalized marijuana. \’93We have fabulous marijuana at this altitude,\’94 said Susan Kuglitsch, of Tabernash, a proponent of cannabis agritourism in Grand County. \’93That secret […]
Continue readingLegal pot sales: Aspen fiddles while Denver burns
All over Aspen, the questions from tourists and locals have been the same. Where’s the pot? If marijuana is legal, why can’t I go into a store and buy some now? There are numerous reasons as to why none of the medical marijuana shops in Aspen and across the Roaring Fork Valley, for that matter […]
Continue readingCounty receives marijuana license applications
\ EAGLE COUNTY \’97 At the Sweet Leaf Pioneer medical marijuana dispensary in Eagle, Dieneka Manzanares gets calls and visitors just about every day. Many are tourists, looking to buy legal marijuana while on vacation to the Vail Valley. Right now, she has to turn them all away. Those calls and visits are familiar to […]
Continue readingPot tourism? Not on Vail Mountain, officials say
VAIL Since the passing of Amendment 64 in 2012, allowing the retail sale of marijuana in Colorado, Vail Resorts has noticed some obvious effects. Long before pot sales were allowed to begin on Jan. 1, Vail Mountain employees noticed a rash of people openly lighting up on the slopes including on the chairlifts and on […]
Continue readingSummit County sheriff’s marijuana FAQ hits the street
\ Last week, the Summit County Commission and the Summit County Sheriff\’92s Office released information to help residents and visitors better understand requirements related to the use, purchase and possession of marijuana in unincorporated Summit County since the passage of Amendment 64. Summit County Sheriff John Minor attended the commission\’92s most recent workshop on Tuesday, […]
Continue readingBreaking ground on marijuana greenhouses in Aspen Colorado
\ The first greenhouses designated to grow marijuana with county approval broke ground Friday. Representatives and friends from Silverpeak Apothecary, of Aspen, hosted the official groundbreaking ceremony at its High Valley Farm, located at Holland Hills near Basalt. Silverpeak Apothecary is a medical marijuana outlet whose owners say they hope to begin selling recreational marijuana […]
Continue readingGranby medical workers unknowingly ingest THC in holiday treats
\ GRANBY \’97 A batch of drug-laced Chex-Mix delivered to Middle Park Medical Center staff around Christmastime has tested positive for Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the chemical compound found in marijuana, according to Granby Police Chief Bill Housley. Though the department knows who delivered the treats and has transferred the case to the District Attorney\’92s Office […]
Continue readingIraq war vet among first buyers as recreational pot industry opens in Colorado
\ DENVER \’97 The nation\’92s first recreational pot industry opened in Colorado on Wednesday, kicking off an experiment that will be followed closely around the world and one that activists hope will prove that legalization is a better alternative than the costly American-led drug war. Business owners who threw their doors open for shoppers at […]
Continue readingFBI balks at marijuana background checks in Washington, but not Colorado
SEATTLE:Â The FBI is refusing to run nationwide background checks on people applying to run legal marijuana businesses in Washington state, even though it has conducted similar checks in Colorado’s a discrepancy that illustrates the quandary the Justice Department faces as it allows the states to experiment with regulating a drug that’s long been illegal under […]
Continue readingSummit County cops report no public marijuana consumption issues on Green Wednesday
\ A quiet New Years Eve for Summit County law enforcement officers was followed by an even less eventful New Year\’92s Day, despite it being \’93Green Wednesday,\’94 or the first day of legal retail marijuana sales in Colorado. For law enforcement officers throughout the county the theme was the same \’97 there were no retail […]
Continue readingVail Resorts issues statement on mountain
\ VAIL \’97 When a structure on the ski hill comes down, for many it\’92s a sad moment. Whether it\’92s Two Elk, destroyed illegally in 1998, or Jaz\’92s Cabin, destroyed in the name of the law in 2012, it\’92s been said it\’92s like losing a close friend or family member. Breckenridge skiers felt that sadness […]
Continue readingLegal marijuana: Summit County pot shops overrun with buyers on day one
\ On Wednesday, recreational marijuana establishments opened all across Colorado, offering for the first time legal weed to residents and visitors. Shortly after the start of \’93Green Wednesday\’94 reports began to surface of long lines of people waiting to get their first taste of legal marijuana. It was no different in Summit County. Nick Brown, […]
Continue readingRetail reefer sales brisk in market’s first month
\ DENVER \’96 In their first month of legality, Colorado\’92s reefer retailers sold $45 million in legal reefer, and generated $3.5 million in tax and fee revenue for the state. According to the Colorado Department of Revenue, January saw $14 million in legal reefer sales to adults, and another $31 million in medical marijuana sales. […]
Continue readingBreckenridge’s retail marijuana shops open with plenty of green
\ BRECKENRIDGE \’97 The lines rivaled any seen on Black Friday, but this was no day after Thanksgiving discount deal. Rather, \’93Green Wednesday,\’94 the first day of recreational marijuana sales in Colorado, brought out visitors and residents alike to legally purchase pot. Breckenridge Cannabis Club, located downtown on Main Street, opened at 8 a.m. to […]
Continue readingState launches campaign to discourage pot-impaired driving
\ EAGLE COUNTY \’97 Colorado made history when we became the first state to legalize marijuana, but the Colorado Department of Transportation wants you to understand that driving under the influence of anything except good karma is a monumentally bad idea. That includes the newly legalized marijuana, said Amy Ford, CDOT\’92s communications director. \’93We did […]
Continue readingCommissioners seek clarity on marijuana science
\ Hot Sulphur Springs \’97 County officials are working to clear the haze of marijuana confusion before they tamp down their marijuana employee policy. During their regular public meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the board of county commissioners had Sarah Urfer of ChemaTox Laboratory, Inc. provide some clarification to the murkiness of marijuana use. She […]
Continue readingFirst Colo. county reports its marijuana taxes
\ DENVER \’97 A southern Colorado county with two recreational marijuana stores has become the first in the state to announce tax totals from the new industry. Pueblo County finance authorities announced Monday that its two shops had about $1 million in total sales in January, producing about $56,000 in local sales taxes. Pueblo County […]
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